We’re back with another update for Kansas City Chiefs fans on AFC West rivals.
Normally, each week we highlight recent stories about the Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers. But with July being a slow news month, we’ve decided to rank each AFC West squad based on position groups.
This week we’ll rank the offense and next week we’ll rank defense and special teams. The players listed are based on current 53-man roster projections, although some fringe players who could make the team have been included as well.
Quarterbacks
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Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes, Chad Henne, Shane Buechele
Chargers: Justin Herbert, Chase Daniel, Easton Stick
Broncos: Russell Wilson, Josh Johnson, Brett Rypien
Raiders: Derek Carr, Jarrett Stidham, Nick Mullens
No surprise, this ranking is mostly based on the starters. And this is a Chiefs blog so, um, of course, Mahomes will be ranked No. 1. While Wilson has been around longer and has a Super Bowl title under his belt, it’s clear that Herbert was a better QB in 2021 and will be moving forward. Herbert is a strong MVP candidate in 2022 along with Mahomes.
Carr, while not bad, takes the lowest QB spot in the AFC West. If he wants to prove otherwise, there’s no better opportunity than this season with all the weapons he has at his disposal.
Running backs
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Broncos: Javonte Williams, Melvin Gordon, Mike Boone, Damarea Crockett
Chargers: Austin Ekeler, Isaiah Spiller, Joshua Kelley, Larry Rountree
Raiders: Josh Jacobs, Kenyan Drake, Zamir White, Brandon Bolden, Jakob Johnson
Chiefs: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Ronald Jones, Jerick McKinnon, Derrick Gore, Isiah Pacheco
This was a tough group to rank. The Chargers may have the deepest bunch and have so much potential with a one-two-three punch of Ekeler-Spiller-Kelley. However, I gave the edge to Denver because of Javonte Williams, a guy who could end up being the best RB in the division in 2022. He and Gordon will be a dominant two-headed monster this season.
The Raiders come in third, although their RB situation is similar to the Chiefs’. Both squads have backs with varying success and disappointment, plus promising but raw rookies (White and Pacheco) who may need time to marinate. The Raiders get the edge over K.C. just based on the sheer uncertainty the Chiefs have within this group. I had to list five RBs for the Chiefs because…
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